Transformation Tuesdays
So clearly, Tuesday came and went and I did not get the blog post online on time. Still, I'd like to explore a topic raising eyebrows in organizational psychology circles:
self-knowledge. Is it capable of reshaping entire organizations?
Well, let's start small. How well do we know ourselves? Most of us assume that we know ourselves better than anyone, and to a certain extent, this is true.
Of course, self-knowledge is seen differently from country to country and from organization to organization. Somewhat sadly, you'll be hard-pressed to find a corporation in this day and age which is willing to invest in getting a better understanding of the personality types or behavioral patterns of their employees. But organizational psychologists and trainers have successfully transformed entire organizations through these sorts of assessments. There are plenty of examples, one of which is the U.S.-based insurance conglomerate Blue Cross Blue Shield. (More examples to follow!)
For now, let's explore the concept of personality types and behavioral patterns, and contemplate the effect that it might have on an individual, with me being the guinea pig.
One of the more famous schools of thought in organizational psychology and the assessment of behavioral patterns is the DISC method. And because of its popularity and proven effectiveness, this is what I've decided to focus on on this fine Transformation Tuesday.
According to TTI, the company who owns the rights to DISC assessments, "The most effective people are those who understand themselves, both their strengths and weaknesses, so they can develop strategies to meet the demands of their environment".
The groundwork for DISC was laid by William Moulton Marston, who was one of the founding fathers of polygraph test and is perhaps most famous for his creation of the American superhero, Wonder Woman. And true underachiever that he was, in his spare time, Marston, "...generated the DISC characteristics of emotions and behavior of normal people (at the time, 'normal' had the meaning of 'typical' rather than an antonym for 'abnormal')" then going on to publish his findings in his 1928 book "Emotions of Normal People".
Fast forward to today, the day in which I receive the test results for my very own DISC assessment from my real-life Wonder Woman friend, Aunt, and coach, Beth Hamel-Eifert. It's accurate, to the "T". The "test" itself is based on a series of 24 simple exercises, in which I prioritized 4 statements on what describes me best, and what I felt was less applicable. It should be completed in 15 uninterrupted minutes, which is not at all difficult to do. You generally receive the completed assessment from your coach, who talks you through 20 pages of analyses, covering everything from your strengths and weaknesses, to your Keys to Motivating, Keys to Managing, and Areas for Improvement. It also talks about "adaptations", which is where job satisfaction and optimal performance come into play. If a certain job clashes with your adapted style, it could present serious roadblocks in employee satisfaction and the success of the employee in that given role.
Once your coach has guided you through a shockingly accurate assessment of who you are and which environments you thrive in, you can choose what to do with that knowledge. But in an ideal world, the coach would also assess every individual within that organization and/or department. When entire organizations are assessed, the coach is then able to map out how the behavior of various individuals clash with one another, and how still other behaviors compliment one another and lead to a more effective workflow.
It's exciting stuff. Know thyself. Better thyself. And in doing so, better thy organization. It all starts with you.
I’ll be sure to update you on the role which this DISC assessment has played in restructuring my career and life. And In the meantime, if you’d like more information about DISC, please contact me and I’ll see if I can help out you in touch with a qualified DISC coach.